Orange juice linked to skin cancer risk

It's common for people to drink a glass of fresh grapefruit or orange juice alongside their breakfast meal, but a new study has revealed that high consumption of these citrus fruits could increase one's risk of the deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma.

Melanoma occurs when some cells in the skin begin to develop abnormally. It is thought that exposure to ultraviolet natural or artificial light sources are responsible, with factors such as lots of moles or freckles, pale skin that burns easily, and red or blonde hair, also increasing one's risk of the disease.

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According to the NHS, around 13,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed in the UK each year, of which more than a quarter are of people aged under 50.

Researchers at Brown University in Providence set out to investigate the relationship between citrus fruit consumption and the risk of melanoma.

For the study, they analysed data from 63,810 women who were part of the Nurses' Health Study between 1984 and 2010, and 41,622 men who were part of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study between 1986 and 2010.

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In order to gather information on the participants' intake of citrus fruits, they were asked to complete dietary questionnaires at least every four years.

The researchers defined one serving of citrus fruit as one orange, half a grapefruit, or one six ounce glass of whole orange or grapefruit juice.

Every two years, the participants completed health questionnaires, which detailed lifestyle factors such as smoking status and levels of physical activity.

During the follow-up study carried out between 24 and 26 years later, 1,840 participants had been diagnosed with melanoma.

It was found that those who consumed a serving of citrus fruit at least 1.6 times a day were 36 per cent more at risk of the disease.

Shaowei Wu, lead researcher of the study, said: 'While our findings suggest that people who consume large amounts of whole grapefruit or orange juice may be at increased risk for melanoma, we need much more research before any concrete recommendations can be made.

'At this time, we don't advise that people cut back on citrus - but those who consume a lot of grapefruit and/or orange juice should be particularly careful to avoid prolonged sun exposure.'

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